so definitely affecting the election right at, incredibly, a pivotal time. >> mm-hmm. they're now being forced to move their campaigns as well as kind of switch their messages as well. >>> but first there's a bull's eye on more than 50 million people this morning as hurricane sandy is taking aim. forecasters are warning everybody in its path, vast path, that the mega storm, some are calling a perfect storm will unleash life-threatening flooding. >> hurricane sandy has already paralyzed the northeast. ripple effects will be felt across the country for days if not weeks if not months to come. we begin with abc's tahman bradley. he's in ocean city, maryland. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. sandy is a monster, unprecedented in size and scope. along the mid-atlantic, residents are hunkered down preparing for the worst. >> we are expecting a pretty significant storm here that could lead to very significant flooding. >> reporter: transportation brought to a standstill throughout the region. more than 6,000 flights have already been grounded through tuesday, leaving